Germany For Tourists - Shopping and Eating

There are two simple things to remember. When shopping, ignore the clothes and go for the toiletries, shoes and the food. Clothing by our standards is generally expensive unless you happen to be a "second hand store" shopper. Yes indeed, these stores exist, are fairly easy to find, and have some remarkable bargains. "Aldi" is a grocery store which also sells toiletries and some clothing like tshirts, pajamas and underwear. A great place for essentials, drinks and snacks. I picked up a pack of 8 batteries for 1.69 Euros.

Shoes are reasonable. It is affordable to buy brand new, great quality brand names in German footwear. Birkenstocks for example, begin at 29 Euros.


Food is a huge bargain as are the drinks (see blog 8/27/12 "Water and Other Libations")

German people have become more concerned about their health. I learned that the food revolution began in the 70's when classic high carb fare started to be replaced by better choices. A chef named Eckart Witzigmann, is credited with introducing the new cuisine. Fresh fruits and vegetables are readily available and inexpensive.

                           

 

Here is one of my favourite restaurant meals. It's called an "Exotischer Salat", exotic salad. The skewers have turkey (puten) skewers.

Having said all this, portion sizes are often large enough for two persons. When I remembered to do so, I would order a meal without sauce, since restaurants often drown food in gravy.


Rouladen, veggies and boiled potatoes

           

Smoked salt cured pork (Kasseler) with kale (Grünkohl) and fried potatoes...hubby's choice



Trout (forelle) with noodles

Another one of my favourite things...schnitzel (2 too big pieces) with spätzle (and beer)

Here are a few of the menu offerings.

 A three Euro breakfast (left) included juice, a boiled egg, a basket of rolls and a tray of meat and cheese...more than enough for two people. The lunch menus offer schnitzel, noodles and salad for 5.90 Euros or frikadelle...seasoned hamburger type patties with carrots and mashed potatoes for 5.50 Euros. Of course, everyone knows about the delicious breads, pastries and pretzels.

AND NOW....FOR COFFEE & DESSERT!

Coffee drinking is just as much of a custom in Europe as it is here. Coffee and cake or torte in the afternoon is even more popular. To distinguish between a torte and a cake, count the layers. More layers, torte. No layers, cake. Again, these treats are quite inexpensive.

raspberry cheese cake and cappuccino

 

 

Ice cream or "Eis" in Germany is usually homemade by the proprieters of the parlors and stands. There are many delicious flavours and ornamental sundaes. An ice cream cone in a waffle, costs between 70 cents and one Euro. Sundaes cost bit more.

Finally, a dessert which I found incredibly tasty and different from anything I'd ever eaten was called
"Rote Grütze". Grütze is German for grits, but have no fear, there is little if any resemblance to that sandpapery cereal. Rather, it's a combination of red currants, raspberries, strawberries and cherries  topped with custard or whipped cream. Yummy.

One recipe can be found at this site http://www.food.com/recipe/rote-gr-tze-301 and requires 24 hours of chilling after assembling. It doesn't include the traditional currants and I prefer the custard topping rather than the cream in the recipe. Perhaps I'll try to make this myself one day and report on the outcome.

Café Au Lait, Hurrayyyyy !

This is my friend, Denise. Her family owns a coffee shop, the Karma Café. She's smart. She knows coffee. I'll be the first to admit, that I don't really understand much about coffee. I didn't drink it prior to age 50 and then I only consumed the occasional cup of instant. That has changed somewhat in recent years.

My friend not only knows what cappuccino, macchiato, latte, espresso and frappuccino are, but she knows how to make these fancy concoctions and more. She sells fair trade coffee. It smells great and comes in biodegradable, compostable bags...unless of course you order a cup of java in which case....well, you know.

Did I mention that Denise also works at a full time career while doing all this in her "spare time"?  One day, she mentioned that she wouldn't mind some help with store decor, specifically shelf and window displays for Christmas. I enjoy doing jobs like that but had never seen the coffee shop, so I was a bit concerned about what might be required and how it would turn out. Nonetheless, it sounded like fun so I sought out some potential ornaments and loaded up several bags with a large variety of seasonal items.

My other friend Mona and I happened to be in the city for a Christmas show last weekend. Afterward, we stopped in to decorate the café. As soon as we arrived, Denise offered us coffee. "What kind would you like?" she asked. Mona responded, "a cappucino please".

"I'll have the same." I said. We each received a lovely huge cup of cappuccino with a fancy design atop. Fantastic. Our engines were revved and we were ready to work.

Two hours later, here is what we had done.

Shelving displaying giftware

Window display with red Christmas balls, red & green sinamay,
coffee bags, gifts and of course, Santa

                                                               

Showing how one might personalize labels for gift giving....recognize anyone?

  And the final words are....

Quest for Coffee

It's once again time for that annual national event called "Rrrrrroll up the Rim" at Tim Horton's. This marks the 25th anniversary of this particular contest and reminds me of a time when I too became a member of the Tim Horton's fan club.

I started drinking coffee at some point during my 50th year of life. Before that, I had no idea what would possess anyone to consume such a foul smelling and tasting brown mud. When I turned 50, as if by some evil spell, it became just a tad more difficult to wake up in the morning.  Moving as quickly as in the past became a challenge. In fact, I had no interest in rushing. My car pretty much started going the speed limit. If I annoyed the young nintendo game playing drivers behind me, so be it. I got there when I got there.

Someone at work suggested a boost of caffeine to help me face the day. I did not own a coffee pot, so I bought some instant coffee. For awhile, I gagged down one cup each morning and it seemed to do the trick. Occasionally a bottle of "Jolt" took its place. One day, a friend aked if we could meet at Tim Horton's after work. I had seen lineups at this donut shop and was always curious as to how every street corner in town could sustain such a facility. I agreed to go and selected an adulterated form of coffee beverage called "french vanilla capuccino". Since I've long been a vanilla addict, I quite enjoyed it.  From that point on, I was hooked. I too picked up the occasional coffee treat from Tim's.

There are those who claim there's an additive in Tim's coffee that has turned an entire nation into sheep. A ridiculous suggestion. I started to join the "drive through" generation..."baaaaaa".  I eventually substitued a lower calorie large, double milk, double sweetener, a lower calorie option for my french vanilla. I too began to pick up my Timmie's on my way to work, several mornings a week.

The following spring, I discovered that Tim's customers sometimes had the additional incentive of winning valuable prizes....cars, money, barbeques and the ever popular free coffee or donut. It was that time of year again. One year, when it got near mid April the cups started to run out.  Since I had not yet won a major prize, and since I'm a stubborn only child who at that time still had an overwhelming need to win, I became more determined than ever. I dedicated my days to locating any Tim's within a reasonable distance of home or work, seeking these magical containers. The most congested traffic areas naturally ran out of the cups quickly. As I was about to give up in disgust, I remembered a little known Tim's in the town where I worked. It took me an extra 20 minutes to get to my destination on that day, but it was worth it. As I drove through, I ordered my usual large, double milk, double sweetener. Oh no! I got the old brown cup. Then I spied it through the window! The most magnificent sight I had seen in days...roll up the rim cups in size extra large. My spirit soared. My head started spinning. After regaining my composure, I realized that there was only one option. I would not be dissuaded. I parked my vehicle.

I got out of the car, went inside and gleefully ordered "extra large, double...er...triple milk, double sweetener...to go". With my familiar. size large, brown, drive through cup in one cup holder and my brilliant red and yellow extra large in the other, I triumphantly drove to work. I also consumed more than my usual amount of caffeine that day. 

The famous cup

 I did never did roll up the rim of my final cup. I was worried that it would say "Try again" and I knew that I couldn't. Besides, as long as I didn't know, I hadn't lost.                                        
So now, it's "Rrrrrroll up the rim" season again. I haven't gone to Tim's much since my retirement. I think I'll have to do that one of these days, for old time's or maybe old Tim`s sake.